The CLEP College Composition exam assesses writing skills taught in most first-year college composition courses. Those skills include analysis, argumentation, synthesis, usage, ability to recognize logical development and research.
The exam contains approximately 50 multiple-choice questions to be answered in approximately 55 minutes and two mandatory, centrally scored essays to be written in 70 minutes, for a total testing time of approximately 125 minutes. The essays are scored twice a month by college English faculty from throughout the country via an online scoring system. Each of the two essays is scored independently by at least two different readers, and the scores are then combined. This combined score is weighted approximately equally with the score from the multiple-choice section. These scores are then combined to yield the test-taker’s score. The resulting combined score is reported as a single scaled score between 20 and 80. While scores are provided immediately upon completion for most other CLEP exams, scores for the College Composition exam are available to test-takers two to three weeks after the test date.
Colleges set their own credit-granting policies and therefore differ with regard to their acceptance of
the College Composition exam. Most colleges will grant course credit for a first-year composition or English course that emphasizes expository writing; others will grant credit toward satisfying a liberal arts or distribution requirement in English.
The exam measures test-takers' knowledge of the fundamental principles of rhetoric and composition and their ability to apply the principles of standard written English. In addition, the exam requires familiarity with research and reference skills. In one of the essays, test takers must develop a position by building an argument in which they synthesize information from two provided sources, which they must cite. The requirement that test takers cite the sources they use reflects the recognition of source attribution as an essential skill in college writing courses.
The skills assessed in the College Composition exam follow. The numbers after the main topics indicate the approximate percentages of exam questions on those topics. The bulleted lists under each topic are meant to be representative rather than prescriptive.
Conventions of Standard Written English (10%)
This section measures test takers' awareness of a variety of logical, structural, and grammatical relationships within sentences. The questions test recognition of acceptable usage relating to the items below:
• Syntax (parallelism, coordination, subordination)
• Sentence boundaries (comma splice, run-ons, sentence fragments)
• Recognition of correct sentences
• Concord/agreement (pronoun reference, case shift, and number; subject-verb; verb tense)
• Diction
• Modifiers
• Idiom
• Active/passive voice
• Lack of subject in modifying word group
• Logical comparison
• Logical agreement
• Punctuation
Revision Skills (40%)
This section measures test takers' revision skills in the context of works in progress (early drafts of essays):
• Organization
• Evaluation of evidence
• Awareness of audience, tone, and purpose
• Level of detail
• Coherence between sentences and paragraphs
• Sentence variety and structure
• Main idea, thesis statements, and topic sentences
• Rhetorical effects and emphasis
• Use of language
• Evaluation of author's authority and appeal
• Evaluation of reasoning
• Consistency of point of view
• Transitions
• Sentence-level errors primarily relating to the conventions of standard written English
Ability to Use Source Materials (25%)
This section measures test takers' familiarity with elements of the following basic reference and research skills, which are tested primarily in sets but may also be tested through stand-alone questions. In the passage-based sets, the elements listed under Revision Skills and Rhetorical Analysis may also be tested. In addition, this section will cover the following skills:
• Use of reference materials
• Evaluation of sources
• Integration of resource material
• Documentation of sources (including, but not limited to, MLA, APA, and Chicago manuals of style)
Rhetorical Analysis (25%)
This section measures test takers' ability to analyze writing. This skill is tested primarily in passage-based questions pertaining to critical thinking, style, purpose, audience, and situation:
• Appeals
• Tone
• Organization/structure
• Rhetorical effects
• Use of language
• Evaluation of evidence
The Essays
In addition to the multiple-choice section, the College Composition exam includes an essay section that tests skills of argumentation, analysis, and synthesis. This section of the exam consists of two essays, both of which measure a test taker's ability to write clearly and effectively. The first essay is based on the test-taker's reading, observation, or experience, while the second requires test-takers to synthesize and cite two sources that are provided. Test-takers have 30 minutes to write the first essay and 40 minutes to read the two sources and write the second essay. The essays must be typed on the computer.
First Essay: Directions
Write an essay in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement provided. Support your discussion with specific reasons and examples from your reading, experience, or observations.
Second Essay: Directions
This assignment requires you to write a coherent essay in which you synthesize the two sources provided. Synthesis refers to combining the sources and your position to form a cohesive, supported argument. You must develop a position and incorporate both sources. You must cite the sources whether you are paraphrasing or quoting. Refer to each source by the author’s last name, the title, or by any other means that adequately identifies it.